Not Withdrawing The Resignation Letter, 10 Thousand Internship Doctors In South Korea Are Likely To Stay In The Hospital

Illustrtion of the doctor. (Unsplash / lcma1028)

JAKARTA - More than 10,000 strike interns are likely to leave the hospital because they have decided not to withdraw their resignations, although the medical community and the government have been working for months to achieve a breakthrough, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

More than 90 percent of the approximately 13,000 young doctors went on strike in February in the form of resignations, in protest against the government's plan to sharply increase admissions of medical students.

The government has put forward a series of moves to convince them to return to work but the majority of them remain out of work.

"The government is reviewing a list of interns handed over by hospitals who will eventually resign. It is unfortunate that most of them will likely not return," Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said, launching The Korea Times July 18.

The ministry has demanded that hospitals accept their resignation no later than Monday, while pledging not to suspend advocates' medical licenses, regardless of whether they return to hospital or not, offering special action for those returning after training and obtaining specialist licenses.

"After confirming the vacancy, the government will begin the process of recruiting interns for the second half," Cho said, stressing young doctors could get the opportunity to obtain a specialist license if they register for the upcoming session.

"The government will increase monitoring of the medical situation and further strengthen the emergency system in an effort to minimize the vacancy of medical services," said Minister Cho.

The strike has disrupted the healthcare system, as most hospitals have significantly reduced care, surgery, and other services for patients.

Menteri Cho juga berjanji untuk melakukan "reformasi dasar" pada sistem medis guna mengurangi kedependungan rumah sakit besar yang berlebihan pada dokter interni.

Despite strong opposition from doctors, the government has completed an increase in the quota for admission of around 1,500 medical students next year to address the problem of a shortage of doctors.

Doctors have urged the government to review the decision, stating medical schools will not be able to handle the increase in registration, which will endanger the quality of medical education and ultimately state medical services.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said it had referred 18 doctors, medical students, and others to the prosecutor's office for an investigation into their alleged involvement in compiling or releasing a list of junior doctors who returned to the hospital after their strike.

Last week, a list of junior doctors who decided to end the months-long strike and return to work was circulated online, with police conducting an investigation into ministry requests.

"The police found 18 doctors, medical students and other parties suspected of being involved in the incident and handed them over to the prosecutor's office for investigation," the ministry said.

"The government has promised to provide a firm response to cases that stigmatize returning interns," he added.